1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an improved information-retrieval apparatus. In particular, the present invention relates to an improved information-retrieval apparatus utilized in association with graphical user interfaces. More particularly, the present invention relates to computer input devices such as computer pointing devices. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to ergonomic pointing devices that may be utilized to manipulate and retrieve information displayed within a graphical user interface.
2. Description of the Related Art
A graphical user interface is a type of display format which enables a user to choose commands, start programs, and see lists of files and other options by pointing to pictorial representations and lists of menu items on a computer display screen. Choices can generally be activated by either a keyboard or a pointing device. A pointing device is a type of input device utilized to control on-screen cursor actions such as "pressing" on-screen buttons, and selecting ranges of cells in spreadsheets or groups of words in a document. Pointing devices are often utilized to create drawings or graphical shapes. The most commonly utilized pointing device known today is a "mouse."
A mouse is a commonly utilized pointing device, containing one or more buttons, that allows a user to interact with a product or operating environment such as a graphical user interface. A mouse typically includes a casing with a flat bottom. The mouse is designed to be gripped by one hand, and includes one or more buttons on the top of the mouse and a multidirectional detection device, usually shaped like a ball, on the bottom of the mouse. A cable usually connects the mouse to a computer. By moving the mouse on a surface such as a desk or mouse pad, a user can control an on-screen cursor. Because there are no defined limits to the mouse's movement and because the placement of the mouse on a surface does not map directly to a specific screen location, the mouse is considered to be a relative pointing device. Thus, to select items or choose commands on the screen, the user presses one of the mouse's buttons, producing a so-called mouse "click."
The user can interact with on-screen graphical elements via the mouse. The mouse controls a mouse pointer, which is a type of on-screen graphical element utilized by the mouse. The mouse pointer is displayed on a computer monitor screen such that its location on-screen changes as the user moves the mouse. Depending on the location of the mouse pointer and the operation of the program (i.e., the graphical user interface within which the mouse pointer is displayed), the area of the screen where the mouse pointer appears serves as the target for an action when the user presses one of the mouse buttons.
Some conventional graphical user interfaces provide a cursor and scroll bar for scrolling through portions of a viewable object. A viewable object can contain multiple components such as spreadsheets, text, hotlinks, pictures, sound, and video object. However, a viewable object is not limited to these components. In many types of graphical user interfaces, a vertical or horizontal bar at the side or bottom of a graphical user interface window can be utilized in conjunction with the mouse to move about in a viewable object. Scrolling permits viewing of any desired portion of a viewable object and is so named because it is the electronic equivalent of reading through a rolled (i.e., scrolled) viewable object rather than flipping through pages of a book. A vertical scroll bar is usually utilized to control up and down movement (e.g., through lines and pages of a viewable object), while a horizontal scroll bar controls movement across a viewable object.
In utilizing a mouse to interact with a graphical user interface via mouse pointers and viewable objects, users often have difficulty interacting with such pointing device due to physical limitations or the size or construction of the pointing device itself. A mouse can be uncomfortable to a user based on both its shape and construction. Long hours spent with an uncomfortable mouse may lead to the development of wrist and hand problems.
In attempting to mitigate these potential problems associated with such pointing devices, scientists and engineers have attempted to apply ergonomic techniques and principals. Ergonomics is the application of biological and engineering data to the design of systems, programs, and devices in order to adapt them to human requirements, to the tasks they are to perform, and to the environments in which they are to be used. Human factors should be considered in designing such pointing devices. Human factors are the characteristics, limitations, physical requirements and psychological needs of people that must be considered in designing and developing systems, programs, and devices that can be utilized easily and which are appropriate for the tasks and working environment for which they are intended.
Designers have attempted to construct and create new pointing devices with such ergonomic and human factors in mind. However, to date, most designs have focused on redesigning the rigid shape of such pointing devices or providing peripheral devices utilized in association with such pointing devices (e.g., wrist support mechanisms, and so forth). In all of these instances, the user must essentially conform to the restraints of the given pointing device and not vice-versa. To date, no designs have been created or implemented which actually attempt to physically conform the pointing device to the anatomy of the user. By conforming the pointing device to the physical attributes of a given user, increased comfort and efficiency in using a pointing device is an immediate result. Thus, it can be appreciated that a need exists for a pointing device which is safe, comfortable, easy to use, and which is infinitely adaptable to the physical variations evidenced by the diverse computer users of today. The invention disclosed herein addresses and solves this need.